More Than Meets the Eye

Kiss – Haven

There are so many unexpected twists and turns in this exciting drama, which is the finale to Haven’s current season. Seeing this one-act is truly an emotional experience. Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderon has written political story. At first, the play is masked as a melodrama about four friends in Damascus who are united in their addiction to watching a particular soap opera.

Four Spirits in Search of a Story

Ghost Quartet – Black Button Eyes Productions

In the very intimate venue of Stage 773, appropriately called “The Box,” four talented actor/singer/musicians ply their craft. Individually and together they play multiple characters who spin a series of interwoven story fragments that transcending seven centuries. Weaving vocal and instrumental melodies and motifs  throughout creates an atmosphere of eerie contemplation. The stories come from many sources. They’re borrowed from the Grimm Brothers’ “Snow White and Rose Red,” Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” and the Scheherazade tale from “One Thousand and One Nights.” Then they’re given unique twists that make the stories feel original, yet slightly familiar. Somehow, an evil bear, a subway murder and the ghost of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk also figure into the four tales.

A Beloved Children’s Book Comes to Life

Junie B. Jones, the Musical – Marriott Theatre

Oh joy! Oh rapture! The Junie B. Jones series of books, by Barbara Park, is onstage for the Summer in Lincolnshire in an absolutely bouncy, high-spirited musical adaptation. It was written for Theatreworks by Deerfield native, lyricist/book writer Marcy Heisler, and her partner, composer Zina Goldrich. This is definitely a show aimed at youngsters, based upon five of Park’s books; but adults will roar with laughter at the recognizable situations, the witty dialogue and the comical song lyrics that speak to their own experiences. Throughout the 60-minute play, Junie B. and her colorful world bursts to irrepressible life.

Sibling Rivalry Gone Berserk

True West – Steppenwolf Theatre

The third in Sam Shepard’s Family Trilogy, along with his “Curse of the Starving Class” and “Buried Child,” this exciting, violent, darkly humorous play was a finalist for the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Three years earlier, Shepard’s drama premiered in San Francisco, followed by its Off-Broadway opening at the Public Theater. In 1982 Steppenwolf produced their thrilling version of the play, starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, which helped put this Chicago-based ensemble company on the map. Shepard became instrumental in transferring Steppenwolf’s production to New York for another successful Off-Broadway run. Then the play finally made its way to Broadway in 2000, where it was produced by Circle in the Square and nominated for the Tony.

This Production Really Shines

The Spitfire Grill – American Blues Theatre

American Blues Theater’s latest offering doesn’t just touch your heart; it enfolds your soul in warmth and caresses you with its humanity. Like the song that one character sings, this production “Shines.” It’s impossible to experience this lovely, folksy musical without shedding a tear or feeling a lump in your throat. At its core, this little musical is a celebration of the simple things in life. With music by James Valcq, lyrics by Fred Alley and a book co-adapted by both artists, from the film of the same name, this is a warm, heartfelt story of redemption and hope. It’s a show we could all use right now because it’s so positive.

A Mobius Strip of a Story

Pomona – Steep Theatre

In the dark, dystopian world that young, British playwright Alistair McDowall creates, reality unexpectedly oozes into the science fiction thriller and then, just as suddenly leaches back out again. This surrealistic play is a kind of mobius strip of a story. The non-linear plot pops back and forth between the present and the future. It kicks all logic deep into the murky  shadows that envelope Joe Schermoly’s nightmarish scenic design, and reality turns into an M.C. Escher-like staircase to nowhere.

Lone(ly) Wolf

Wolf Play – The Gift Theatre

Wolf Play is being given its Chicago premiere this month at Gift Theater. It is the story of a young Korean boy who was adopted by American parents, but who, now that they have unexpectedly had a baby they thought they couldn’t, have ‘unadopted’ him. His new parents try build a bond with him, but it proves more complicated than they could have imagined.

It’s All About Who You Know

The Recommendation – Windy City Playhouse

Upon entering the theatre, an attendant gives the patron his ticket, in the form of a congratulatory letter of acceptance to Brown University. Theatergoers are then plunged into the world of the play as they’re welcomed to a collegiate Orientation by Iskinder Iodouku, nicknamed Izzy (beautifully played by Michael Aaron Pogue). Jonathan Caren’s thought-provoking play is very interesting. It’s not about what you know but who you know, and the favors that people will perform now in exchange for something later on. 

“Beyond Therapy” with Eclipse Theatre Company

Second in the line-up for Eclipse Theatre Company’s Season of Christopher Durang’s work is the farcical comedy Beyond Therapy. Directed by Rachel Lambert, the play is set in the early 1980s of New York City. While the accurate set design and costume design is reminiscent of that time period, don’t let that fool you into thinking that this production is outdated. Au contraire, the absurd hypocrisies and contradictions found in the comedy of this play are still prevalent; they are just found in different groups of the population. As we watch clownish characters fling prejudices at each other as metropolitan 30 and 40 somethings of the 1980s, we can laugh at them as we recognize their logical fallacies (“He’s not gay, he doesn’t lisp!”)  as those held by less politically and socially aware today. 

The Scottish Play

Macbeth – Saltbox Theatre Collective

Macbeth is probably the most accessible of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The action and motivations are straight forward, and once the action gets going, it really doesn’t break until the end of the show. This week, Saltbox Theatre Collective mounts a production of this dark tale of ambition and betrayal, and the results show why this play is still produced so long after it first premiered.